WILLIAM JEFF BARNES

Jeff Barnes is a co-founder of International Mediation Associates, Inc. (IMA) together with his wife, Ruth Barnes. Jeff has been certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Circuit Civil Mediator, and has also been certified as a Qualified Neutral by the State of Minnesota. He has participated in hundreds of Mediations, including at the trial and appellate level, since 1989 in connection with his full-time law practice which is concentrated in litigation. Jeff brings a wealth of courtroom experience to the Mediation, Arbitration, and Settlement Conference process, having represented clients throughout the United States and the world in numerous jurisdictions and venues, and having also tried hundreds of cases, many of which were tried to a jury. While in law school, Jeff served as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney in Miami, Dade County, Florida.

Jeff is a member of the Supreme Court of Florida (since 1988) and the Colorado Supreme Court (since 1990). Jeff is a member of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

He has also been previously admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (Newark), the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (Duluth), the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey (Atlantic City), the Hennepin County Circuit Court of the State of Minnesota, the Norfolk Superior Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusets, the Circuit Civil Court of Walker County, Alabama, and the Superior Court of the State of California for Orange County. Jeff is currently litigating cases in the States of Florida, California, Alabama and Ohio.

Jeff’s legal practice is concentrated in Business Litigation (contract and business tort), Insurance Litigation (coverage, claims, and Unfair and Deceptive Insurance Practices), Fraud Litigation, Real Estate Litigation (including homeowner and condominium), and Administrative (professional discipline). His practice includes litigation at the trial and appellate levels.

Jeff is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (A.B. Experimental Psychology 1977) and the University of Miami (Florida) with both a Master of Science in Education (1978) and Juris Doctor (1987) degrees. Prior to law school, he was a teacher in Dade County, Florida in both the public and private sectors (elementary, middle, and high school, including learning disabled and emotionally handicapped), and was an assistant adjunct professor at Florida International University teaching Behavioral Science Statistics and Preventive and Collective Bargaining Law to Masters’ and Doctoral candidates.

RUTH BARNES

Ruth Barnes is a co-founder of International Mediation Associates, Inc. (IMA) together with her husband, William Jeff Barnes. Ruth has been certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a County Civil mediator, and has also been certified as a Qualified Neutral by the State of Minnesota. She has participated in Mediations and settlement conferences in the areas of landlord-tenant, domestic relations, personal injury, workplace/employment, and commercial/business disputes for over ten years.

Ruth is fluent in multiple languages. Ruth’s life experiences and extensive dealings with clients from different parts of the world lend a unique perspective to the mediation, arbitration, and settlement processes with proven results.